Atlanta Braves Pre-Season Player Preview: Brandon Phillips

The Atlanta Braves new second baseman provides stability, flair and experience at a position that’s been desperately short of those things for a while.

It took two attempts and an injury to put Brandon Philips in an Atlanta Braves uniform but he’s enjoying himself not that it’s done.

The glove may not be golden and the rockets that were once homers are more likely to be doubles, but BP is the perfect bridge to Ozzie Albies. So, what kind of season can we expect this season from the man who produced all those web gens for Cincinnati?

Plugging the Second Base Leak

Fans regard the four-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All Star as one of the best but last three years saw a significant decline in his defensive metrics.  Aside from a wrist injury affected 2009,  Phillips posted a UZR of at least eight from 2007 through 2014. In that span his DRS numbers were solid if roller coaster like, averaging about eight a year.

In July of 2014 he tore a ligament in his that eventually required surgery. BP returned in August but was clearly not the same player on either side of the ball.

Over the last two years Phillips suffered a string of nagging little injuries but managed to avoid the disabled list.  Injuries to his hand, wrist, thumb and heel affected his defense something verified by the most commonly used Fangraphs metrics.  Unlike Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus’ fielding runs above average has never been a fan of Phillips defense.

". . . FRAA, which does not rely on stringers eyeing batted ball data, chooses to rate Phillips’ glove as somewhere between indifferent and poor, depending on the year"

It’s odd then that  FRAA shows Phillips’ last two years better than the previous two though still at or below average.

As Alan noted in an earlier post, the Braves were 28th on Fangraphs list for second base defense last year with a –10.6 UZR and –16 DRS. So even at Phillips reduced level of play, he’s a real improvement at the keystone for the Braves.